ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Over a year ago, I put out a call for recipes from readers. I asked for their favorite family Christmas cookie recipes. So many people responded! They shared a little bit about themselves and their cookies. They offered an amazing variety of cookies, many handed down for generations. I am delighted to share their recipes at the end of this book. Very special thanks to all my cookie recipe contributors: Ellen Marie Knehans, Nancy Foust, Kathy Kaminski, Michelle Melvin, Jeanne Schutts, Margaret F. Johnson, Jessica Faust, James Ashcroft, Elaine Faber, Roberta Daniels, and Kitty Free.

I am always so grateful when experts take the time to enthusiastically share their specialized knowledge with me. Seth Guggenheim, assistant ethics counsel for the Virginia State Bar, was kind enough to set me straight about Alex German’s ethical responsibilities. I hope I got it right and that Alex makes Seth proud. Thanks also to Lucy Zahrey, aka the Poison Lady, who is helpful, gracious, and fun. Any mistakes are, of course, my own.

The title for this book posed some challenges. Thanks to readers Lori Meadows-Clark and Wendy Robbins, who suggested the title The Diva Wraps It Up without having read the book. How very appropriate it is! And for those who may wonder, the title does not mean the end of the series. Rest assured that another Domestic Diva Mystery is in the works.

Thanks also to my many friends who patiently answer questions and offer suggestions, Leslie Budewitz, Perry Garson, Betsy Strickland, Janet Bolin, Janet Cantrell, Laurie Cass, Daryl Wood Gerber, and Marilyn Levinson. Very special thanks to my friend, Peg Cochran who gave me some clever ideas for Gwen’s Christmas letter and to Teresa Fasolino for painting another beautiful cover. As always, I owe deep gratitude to those who provide so much support and friendship, my mom Marianne, Susan Smith Erba, and Amy Wheeler.

I would be lost without my wonderful editor, Sandra Harding, and my incredible agent, Jessica Faust. They’re always there with the unvarnished truth, delightful humor, and, when warranted, cupcakes and champagne!

Thank you all!